Hawaii releases names of 388 people still missing after deadly Maui wildfires
Maui County officials asked that if anyone knows a person on the list to be safe and accounted for to contact authorities
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Your support makes all the difference.The names of 388 people still missing after the deadly Maui wildfires two weeks ago have been released by officials in Hawaii.
115 deaths have been confirmed following the deadliest fires in more than a century in the United States, which largely destroyed the historic town of Lahaina.
Maui County officials asked for anyone who knows a person on the list to be safe and accounted for to contact authorities.
The list was compiled by the FBI after an earlier log stood at a tentative 1,100 people missing.
“We also know that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for folks whose loved ones are listed,” Police Chief John Pelletier said in a statement.
“This is not an easy thing to do, but we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make this investigation as complete and thorough as possible.”
Individuals were added to the list if officials had their first and last names and a verified contact for the person had reported them missing.
An additional 1,732 people who were previously reported missing have been found safe as of Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Hawaiian officials have asked more relatives of those missing to come forward and give DNA samples. So far, only 104 families have done so and officials said the low number threatens to hinder efforts to identify any remains discovered in the ashes.
Hawaii officials had expressed concern that by releasing a list of the missing, they would also be identifying some people who have died.
On Thursday, Maui County sued Hawaiian Electric Company saying that the utility provider failed to shut off power before the fires ignited despite dry and windy conditions.
Witness accounts and video indicated that sparks from power lines ignited fires as utility poles snapped in up to 80mph winds which came from a Category 4 hurricane around 500 miles away.
Hawaii Electric said in a statement it is “very disappointed that Maui County chose this litigious path while the investigation is still unfolding”.
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